Cauliflower rice!

I can't believe I haven't tried this earlier...so good and healthy! Even my six year old liked it (and he was quite against "cauliflower rice" at first.) I have seen several recipes for this rice substitute around Pinterest.  Here is what I did:

Cauliflower "Rice"
Ingredients:
1/2- whole head of washed and dried cauliflower
A handful of diced onion
a clove of garlic (minced)
*(Next time, I think I might try just some garlic and onion powder to see if I like it without the chunks of onion.  But it was really good this way, too!)
Cooking spray

Directions:
~Pulse cauliflower in a food processor until about the consistency of rice (actually, it's more like couscous). Make sure your cauliflower is good and dry!  Do not add any water at any point.
~Put "rice" into a microsafe bowl and lightly cover (don't seal it tightly) with wax paper or lid. ~Microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes, stirring halfway. (Again, do not add water!)
~Saute your onions and garlic with a bit of cooking spray in a large non-stick skillet.  Add your rice and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently.
~Serve as you would rice and enjoy far less calories!!!
(We had this with Kielbasa and black beans...can't wait to try it with an Asian dish!)

Spinach Salad

We have two favorite spinach salad recipes.  I am sure I posted these before but when I made all of the blog changes, I accidentally deleted a bunch. Anyhow, here they are! I hope you enjoy them. :)

Warm Spinach and Mushroom Salad
















4 slices bacon
2 eggs
2 teaspoons white sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound spinach
1/4 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

DIRECTIONS:
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Crumble and set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon fat.
Place eggs in a saucepan and cover completely with cold water. Bring water to a boil. Cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and cut in wedges.
Return 2 tablespoons bacon fat to skillet, stir in sugar, vinegar, water and salt. Keep warm.
Wash and remove stems from spinach, dry thoroughly and break into pieces in salad bowl. Pour warm dressing over and toss until coated.
Top salad with mushrooms and bacon, garnish with egg.


Spinach Salad (from my friend, Christine)

(beware of little fingers stealing the "goodies" out of this! LOL)















Fresh Spinach leaves
Pine Nuts
Cranberries

Dressing:
¼ cup each of balsamic vinegar and olive oil
1-3 cloves crushed garlic cloves
4 TBS brown sugar
*Combine first three ingredients in a large bowl. Mix dressing ingredients then toss everything together when ready to serve.

Roasted Cauliflower

Here's a super simple side dish that is healthy and very tasty. Not the prettiest to photograph...but tasty!!!

Roasted Cauliflower

Makes 4 servings @ 1 WW point a serving

4 cups cauliflower, chopped into bite sized pieces

1-4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped (depending on how much your family likes garlic. I used 4 cloves and it was really garlicky but we love garlic.)

1 TBS olive oil

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Toss ingredients together in a big bowl. Spread out on a baking sheet and bake for about 20-30 minutes. Keep an eye on it. You want it to brown some but not burn. I would toss the cauliflower around a bit about half way through cooking. Some of the garlic might turn really dark..but most of it should be lightly browned and yummy. :)

Happy cooking!

Stacey